San Silvestre Races

The calendar indicates that it is December 31 and thousands of sneakers are running on the asphalt of many cities around the world. They participate in the famous San Silvestre races.

• With routes of about 10 km, these races are already a tradition for many runners on the last day of the year as a way to say goodbye and welcome the new one.
• To the festive atmosphere we must add the healthy part due to the physical activity that it implies, and the sometimes supportive factor that these types of races have.
• Although the distance is short, those who do not usually run the rest of the year, should do a little preparation routine a few months before.

Where the San Silvestre races are born

The origin of this phenomenon must be found in Sao Paolo (Brazil) in 1925. Today, after more than 90 years, this race is still considered one of the most popular "wild san" in the world. With maximum runs of 10 km, professional and amateur runners seek to end the year in the most fun and healthy way. They are usually tours that pass through neighborhoods in different cities fully decked out and illuminated for the Christmas holidays and with an eye on the new year.

Throughout Spain

There is a completely festive atmosphere, where the least is usually the brand. Year after year the organizations of these races seek to surprise the runners, who sometimes face very low temperatures.

In Spain, the most popular and most traditional is the "San Silvestre Vallecana", which this year will celebrate its 52nd edition. There will be 42,000 "brave" who will run 10 km despite the low temperatures that can mark the thermometers on the afternoon of the last day of the year. A tour of different areas of the capital that also allow you to enjoy the city from another perspective. Low temperatures will also be one of the handicaps for those who want to say goodbye to the year by running through Zaragoza or San Sebastián but with a smile on their lips. With 12 and 32 editions respectively, they are younger than the Vallecana but they have a multitude of runners waiting for the date to start a new year by burning some calories.

Barcelona is another of the cities in which this popular San Silvestre race. The streets near the waterfront are dyed in the colors of thousands of sneakers and T-shirts, waiting for the chimes to bring them closer to the next year. For this year the organization has prepared novelties such as shows with led lighting as well as others that are yet to be discovered.

All of them also have their own characteristics, some allocate part of the registration of the participants to solidarity causes. Others reward those who run and finish the race in disguise, and there are those who, prior to the adult race, organize a race for the little ones.

Always prepare

Be that as it may, it must be borne in mind that even though it is a festive race and where fun is the rule, it is still a race and that if the person who runs it is not a regular runner, it must be done so as not to enter "on the wrong foot" to the new year. It would be advisable to do a small preparation routine a few months before, since in this way the tour will be much more enjoyable. It can be a great opportunity for those who want to leave bad habits behind, so following a pattern in which you start walking to finish running those kilometers can be an achievable challenge. It is an excellent way to say goodbye to a year and start with good intentions the one that is beginning.